Who We Are

Alan Alhadeff

Alan Alhadeff has been a full-time mediator since 1985, with experience involving commercial, construction, corporate, environmental, family law, health care, employment, personal injury, product liability, real property and complex multi-party litigation. Alan’s commitment to solving problems during mediation vs. an environment of debate lies as the key to his success. He is committed to a negotiation process where people feel listened to and encouraged by the mediator to find a way. He helps people experience the possibility of a settlement and guides them through the actions to make it happen.

Alan is responsible for creating some of the first mediator training programs in the country and in this way continues to contribute to the development of mediation as a field. His training activities include speaking at seminars and mediation programs, conducting his own mediation training programs, and working in concert with various bar associations and professional organizations throughout the United States and in Europe. He has taught several courses at both local law schools and has published deskbook chapters and articles on the subject of mediation. Prior to becoming a mediator he practiced law in San Francisco and Seattle in a wide variety of litigation settings. Mr. Alhadeff holds a J.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. from the University of Washington.

Micky Forbes

Micky Forbes’ mediation experience includes work in family law, inheritance, employment, and medical malpractice. She offers mediation, consulting and training for organizations with management and supervision challenges. She has taught mediation training programs with Alan Alhadeff that have allowed them to develop the community of mediators that is now Alhadeff and Forbes Mediation Affiliates.

Raised in London, Ms. Forbes moved to Seattle in 2001 from the Chicago area, where she practiced criminal law both in private practice and with the Chicago Federal Defender Program. She has considerable experience in litigation at the trial court and appellate level, is an experienced negotiator, and an expert in sentencing mitigation. Prior to her mediation and legal career, Ms. Forbes pursued graduate studies in philosophy, where she wrote on topics in philosophical psychology involving the explanation of human behavior. She also taught a wide range of philosophy courses, including logic, critical thinking, ethics, the philosophy of mind and personal identity. Ms. Forbes is bilingual, speaking French and English, and has some Spanish conversational abilities. She received her B.A. from University College, London University; her M.A. from Northwestern University, and J.D. with Certificate in Environmental Law from Kent Law School.

Jessyn Farrell

Jessyn Farrell, J.D., is one of the region’s foremost experts in building public consensus on major infrastructure projects. As an advocate, facilitator, and mediator, she has played a key role in developing community consensus for major transportation initiatives, including the I-90 light rail extension, the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement, Sound Transit’s successful 2008 ballot package, and the Washington State Legislature’s 2005 Transportation Partnership Package.

Ms. Farrell was Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition where she led the advocacy, messaging and coalition-building strategy to break through the gridlock of the decades’ old “roads vs. transit” debate, unleashing over $25 billion in bus, rail, bike and pedestrian investments in Washington state. Most recently, for Pierce Transit, Ms. Farrell developed a community-based plan for major transit service reductions. She recently co-chaired a Puget Sound Regional Council initiative, made of local elected officials from King, Pierce, Kitsap and Snohomish Counties, to create regional consensus on the prioritization of $87 billion worth of proposed transportation investments. She is a graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Washington.

Courtney Kaylor

Courtney Kaylor is a partner with the law firm McCullough, Hill, Leary, P.S. in Seattle, Washington. Her practice focuses on land use and environmental law and on alternative dispute resolution. Courtney is trained as a mediator through the University of Washington Professional Mediation Skills Training Program and the King County Inter-Local Conflict Resolution Group Practicum. She is Chair of the Land Use Mediation Committee of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Environmental and Land Use Law (ELUL) Sections. She is President Elect of the Washington Mediation Association. Courtney has written numerous articles and is a frequent speaker on land use law and mediation.

Joanna Roth

Divorce ends marriages, not families. This belief informs Joanna Roth’s work as both a mediator and a collaborative family law attorney. Joanna works with clients to uncover their long-term hopes for themselves, their children, and their family. Through the mediation, she helps build a bridge between one’s deep-seated dilemma’s and the desired outcome. Her goal is for her clients to walk out of mediation with a lasting settlement that is legally binding, appropriate for their family, and supportive of their children’s healthy development.

Joanna serves on the board of King County Collaborative Law, and is a past co-chair of the King County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section. She holds a JD from the University of Washington, and a BA from Harvard College.

Ben Stephens

Ben brings to mediation broad experience as a business lawyer creating solutions in complex, dynamic situations. He views mediation as an opportunity for collaborative problem solving, rather than an abbreviated way of determining who is right or wrong.

Mr. Stephens is available to assist in resolving disputes in a wide range of areas, including corporate and securities, fiduciaries, employment, non-profit organizations, mergers and acquisitions, whistleblowers, and complex business transactions. Ben holds a JD from Cornell University and an AB in Psychology from Amherst College.

Before turning to mediation and facilitation full-time, Jeff’s litigation practice included jury trials, administrative hearings, multi-district national class-action litigation, and appeals. Notable cases include In re Cigarette Antitrust Litigation, representing a national class of wholesalers with horizontal price-fixing claims, and what in their time were the two largest settlements in Washington State history: State Investment Board v. The New England, et al. and State of Washington v. American Tobacco Co., et al.

Jeff serves on the planning committee of the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference (2009-present). He is past President of King County Collaborative Law (2010-11) and past Chair of the Washington State Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (2010-11).